The Shy Groupie & Concert Scrapbooking Notes

So, last week, well, we drove 20 miles shy of 1,000 miles to see four nights of concerts all by the same three bands. (Can you tell the fact that we were 20 miles shy just irks me? Kinda like my husband at the pump when he’s one cent over and even amount). Ever really enjoy a concert and then ask the question, where are they next? This was our second round about Texas trip combatting that- or planning ahead for it. But, it’s true- despite being a huge fan, I’m quite the shy groupie. I’ve never had my picture taken with any of the guys from Lucero (or any other artist I’ve ever seen) though this trip I did take the pictures for a few others. As the week progressed knowing this week I’d be launching my scrapbooking class this week, there were a number of things that made me think about scrapbooking- even as we were watching the concerts. I think in part because I tend to look at them vary similarly to my scrapbooks.

The Shy Groupie & Concert Scrapbooking Notes

I want my pages to feel like a Twin Forks song. And, I think that a lot of my pages actually do- lots of them are about celebrating love.

Okay, so you can’t really get what I mean until you hear some of their stuff. Email them at twinforksmusic@gmail.com and they’ll send you a link to download a free EP (super easy). But, here’s one of the videos I recorded one night that will give you a feel for what I’m talking about.

Not all my pages can be so sweet. But they are all a portrait of who I am and my life- the same can be said for Ben Nichols and Lucero songs.

Ultimately, we all have something to say, something we are trying to express.

Ryan Bingham was talking about how he came to the guitar late. I know the same is true for many of the Lucero folks. But, Ryan was talking about getting the courage up to go play with a guy that lived next door. It takes courage to really say what we want to say in our scrapbook pages- a good page has our heart poured into it.

We are always learning and growing. Ryan well, man, from the first time we saw him like back in 2006- boy he can play that guitar. I know that Brian Venable, from Lucero, has said he’s been trying to learn the slide. (And I have to wonder if he’s not taken lessons along their travels this tour.) But, I felt like I had something to learn trying to take those pictures of Ryan playing the slide. We have to give ourselves the space we need to try something different.

Oh man, this man here can play the fiddle. Let me share a link to a video you simply must go check out!!! This is from another Ryan Bingham concert at Gruene Hall- it’s part of the reason I knew there was no way I was going to miss this show. (I never did getting a really clear shot of him- it’s a little like shooting a toddler in a dark room- low light and too much movement. So, all you can do is enjoy it.) I want to be like him years from now- still scrapbooking and still enjoying it. It means we have to forge our own path towards enjoying our scrapbooking just as all of these guys (and gal) have forged their own path.

I’m always saying that sometimes a really bad picture tells as much of a story as any other. This is one of those. For me, it’s all about the little moments. This is during “All Sewn Up” when Ben gets to the part talking about Brooklyn- and most always he’ll ask, “What about Brooklyn Rick?” and Rick runs his hands down the keys. This is that moment as John C gets in the act as well.

Speaking of moments, sometimes as scrapbookers, we need to take a moment to jot down a note so we can remember it later. During a concert, I’m not on my phone unless I’m using it as a camera. But, one night, Ben made a comment about disco balls and it made me harken back to some others shows we’ve seen. I sat there for a few songs thinking “man I’ve got to remember what he said” because I want to include that in some way on a scrapbook page (either a mini album or the page for this trip). I finally realized that if I’d just jot it down, my brain would just move on and I’d quit worrying about it. I ended up just posting a quick shot on Instagram with the quote and then going back to edit it with more details.

These guys are so comfortable on stage (or they appear that way). They’ve been doing this a long time. But, there are things we can do to make it comfortable for us to- ease comes with time. It also helps when you know you are doing your thing- and not someone else’s.

Can you tell these guys have been together forever? Just about as long as I’ve been married.

And, don’t let someone else push you into a box. Why do we do that? Someone says this new item is hot and we have to have it- regardless of whether we’ll use it. Or they say we need to scrapbook this or that- and we take them at their word. This band was in one music scene until there were too many rules, and then they swapped- until there were too many rules. They do their own thing and I think as scrapbookers, we have to not let rules hold us down.

Oh. . . . and speaking of a box. This trip I kinda did find myself pushing up against the rules/the box. You may have noticed I posted a number of shots on Instagram that were full width/length rather than squares. And the last night, shooting in Hisptamatic’s squares, I found it quite limiting. Sometimes we get married to a shape/design and don’t push out of it. We have to do what works for our photos- and for us.

And most of all, of course, scrapbooking should be fun. It should feel like that concert that has you beaming inside and out.

The Venues & Cameras: Gruene Hall, Austin Music Hall, Southside Ballroom in Dallas, and House of Blues Houston. Gruene Hall & Southside the photos were taken with my good camera. The other two places, well, don’t get me started- but those shots are all with my iPhone. I played with the Hipstamatic App for photos and Hyperlapse to get steadier videos.

More Images/Videos: You can see more images/video snippets on Instagram, and even more on Flickr, and a couple more videos on YouTube. (I want to post more but so far it’s only standard def on my phone until I can get some Wi-Fi better than at the house.)

Can you find ways to compare the last concert you enjoyed to your scrapbooking? Does it feel like that kind of joy when you scrapbook?